Musashiyama Takeshi

was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kōhoku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. He was the sport's 33rd yokozuna. He had a rapid rise through the ranks, setting several youth records, and was very popular with the public. However he did not fulfill his great potential at sumo's highest rank, missing many matches because of injury and winning no tournaments.

Career

Born in Kohoku ward, he came from a poor peasant family and entered local sumo tournaments to provide for them. He was scouted by the former Ryōgoku Yūjirō, who persuaded him to join Dewanoumi stable. Musashiyama made his professional debut in January 1926. He was far superior to his early opponents, becoming an elite sekitori at the age of just 19. His picture sold more copies than any other wrestler. In addition, several people insisted that the reason for Tenryū's walkout was his jealousy of Musashiyama's fast promotion to ōzeki while he remained at sekiwake. Unfortunately, Musashiyama proved to be one of the least successful yokozuna ever. He was often absent from tournaments because of his elbow injury and did not win any further championships. He was so popular that he was always in demand to perform on regional tours, and rarely had a chance to recuperate properly from his injury. He retired at the age of 29 without achieving any lasting success as a yokozuna, in May 1939. He had long been overshadowed by Futabayama, then at the peak of his career.

Retirement from sumo He remained in the sumo world for a time as a coach, and was known as Dekiyama and then Shiranui Oyakata. However, he left the Sumo Association in 1945.